


I'll always be there to cheer you on, Hollis

by australopithecushomo



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types, Carmilla - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-05-16 20:51:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14818632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/australopithecushomo/pseuds/australopithecushomo
Summary: Someone on Tumblr wanted people to send them highschool headcanons. I sent them this one and I put so much thought into it that I felt inspired to write it as a fic.Highschool headcanon: Laura is a lovable band geek. Carmilla is her usual broody self who avoids most extracurriculars unless you include the amount of time she spends making out with random girls in the stairwell that leads to the drama room or the hours she spends in the library reading. Carmilla absolutely loathes sports but she attends every single football and basketball game so she can watch her tiny little dork of a bff play in marching band and pep band.------They're just bestfriends for quite awhile but Hollstein is endgame because I'm gay trash who can't not make them eventually get together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy! Please let me know if you'd like to see this continued.

Laura pov:  
  
"Shit shit shit shit shit!" I mumbled to myself as I race across the practice fields, clarinet in hand, towards the illuminated football stadium. So much for following the "no running in uniform" rule.  
  
I was suppsed to have been at school an hour ago to get into uniform and warm up with the marching band before playing the national anthem before the game but I fell asleep watching Buffy after school and overslept. I reach the stadium and slip into file in my place in the line. We march into place in an arc facing the home team and play the star spangeled banner. We march off field and sit on the far side of the stands in the section always reserved for the marching band.  
  
My friends Lafontaine and Danny are seated on either side of me. Lafontaine is busy talking with Perry, who's sitting to their other side, and Danny is focused intently on cheering on the team. I've never been one to get into sports. Sure I like being active but I've always found watching sports kinda dull. The only reason I attend football games is because it's mandatory for everyone in marching band because we perform the show we've been preparing all fall at halftime.  
  
Football games aren't the worst. At least I have some friends in band so I have people to talk to during the game.  
  
I scan the bleachers in the student section looking for the familiar dark wavy hair of my best friend. Of course I can't find it. I'm really not that surprised; Carmilla hates sports more than I do. Plus this is an all boys sport so there's no female athletes for her to stare at.  
  
Sure she promised to be here to see our first public performance, but I can't blame her for breaking that promise because I'd rather not be here either. It's an unusually hot September, so sitting in the stands in a thick polyester uniform is more unpleasant than usual.  
  
I'm about to give up hope and stop looking for Carmilla when I see a wisp of cigarette smoke rise up from beneath the bleachers. Found her!  
  
I look down and she smirks up at me, "Hey cutie. Sorry I'm not up there with you, but I just couldn't stand to be surrounded by that much school spirit for very long. It's nauseating."  
  
I sigh and roll my eyes, "God forbid someone mistakes you, Carmilla Karnstein, for someone who actually cares about sports."  
  
She fakes indignation, "Hey, I like softball."  
  
"No Carm you like softball players," I giggle.  
  
"Yeaaaah, you got me there," she tosses her cigarette butt on the ground and stomps it out with her boot.  
  
"You know you really shouldn't smoke. It's so bad for you and it's gross Carm." I really do wish she'd stop. It's not so much that it grosses me out but that I worry about the long term effects.  
  
"Let me have my fun."  
  
"I think you've enough fun for one day already. Need I remind you that I saw you sneek off towards the drama stairwell with Elsie during lunch period?"  
  
She scoffs and a mask seems to fall over her face like she's trying to hide what she's really feeling, "Whatever you say Hollis. You're persistent, anyone ever told you that?"  
  
"Everyday of my life," I smile at her. The countdown clock on the scoreboard is almost to zero, it'll be halftime soon, "You gonna come up into the stands to watch us perform?"  
  
The mask softens and she gives me a genuine smile, a smile most people never see, "Of course Cupcake, it's the only reason I'm even at this stupid game."  
  
Carmilla is the bestest best friend I could ever possibly hope for. Sure I wish she was more than that, but I'd rather just be her best friend than some girl she messes around with and then ignores. Carmilla is a great friend but a terrible girlfriend. Not that I have first hand experience of the latter, but I've seen her use and lose more girls than I'd like to count.  
  
The drum majors are announcing that we need to leave the stands and go warm up before halftime, "Wish me luck out there Carm."  
  
"Good luck Cutie," she winks at me, "Now go march your heart out. I'll be up there cheering you on." She really is the sweetest friend I've ever had. Sure my other friends are great, but Carm always knows just what to say or do to make my day.  
  
"Thanks Carm, I'll see you afterwards?"  
  
"Of course Creampuff."  
  
A drum major is tapping me on the shoulder, "Hollis, come on, we gotta go do warm ups," I realize the rest of the band has already gotten up and left.  
  
I give Carmilla a wave and follow the drum major off the bleachers and towards a practice field.  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura is a gay band geek who keeps getting lost in her head tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo i haven't updated this in ages and hadn't planned to. But I couldn't sleep and ended up writing a new chapter. 
> 
> This chapter slightly introduces an original character. The character of Tara is my own character, not someone from another fandom. Parts of her are influenced on experiences from my real life (mostly the fact i did have a crush on a drum major in high school), but she's an original fictional character.

As far as marching band performances go this wasn't our best. It's still so early in the year that half the band hasn't fully mastered their marching drill so I'm sure the shapes we were supposed to be forming on the field just looked like blobs.   
  
Whatever. I'm happy with how I performed even if overall the band looked mediocre. At least pretty much everyone has their music memorized this time, there's nothing worse than playing an instrument and being the only one in your section who isn't faking it.   
  
Throughout the performance my eyes never rest anywhere except the drum majors' hands and the field around me: I'm in the zone, moving my body in a controlled motion in time from one precise point on the field to another.   
  
We finish the final note of the finale and snap our instruments down to attention in unison. We freeze while the audience in the stands applauds.   
  
I take the few moments of stillness to scan the crowd. I hear a familar voice shout, "Go Creampuff!!" from where the band had been sitting in the stands. I look to see Carmilla standing alone in the vacated area clapping enthusiastically and smiling widely. If anyone else noticed her they may not have even recognized her simply because this behavior seemed so uncharacteristic in comparison with her usual semiapathetic broody attitude.   
  
The snare drum starts to play, signaling the band to march off the field. I stop staring at Carmilla and focus on marching of the field in the way we had practiced in rehearsals.   
  
Once we're off the field a drum major calls for us to switch to a "carry" position with our instruments. We follow the drum majors and director away from the stadium and around the school building to the grassy area outside of the band room where we usually meet for instrumental warmups before games.   
  
The drum majors instruct us to go to "parade rest" and we stand around and listen to the band director and drum majors give critiques and make announcements.   
  
As soon as we're dismissed I quickly head into the band room to change out of my uniform so I can go meet up with Carmilla before she gets distracted by some random girl and ends up leaving without me.   
  
\------  
  
As I'm finishing hanging up my uniform and zipping the garment bag Tara, a senior drum major walks by and smiles at me. I feel my stomach flip a little bit and I try to smile back. I'm sure I looked like an idiot, I'm not 100% sure that a little bit of drool didn't just fall from the corner of my mouth.   
  
Shit, I'm such a gay mess I can't even smile at a cute girl without feeling stupid. I'd had a bit of a crush on Tara since I'd started highschool a little over a year ago. It took me months to realize I was into her because I hadn't ever thought about a girl that way but by the time I realized what I was feeling I was way too into her to deny it. It wasn't long after realizing I was into Tara and gay that I realized I also had a bit of a massive crush on my best friend: Carmilla.  
  
I haven't told Carmilla that I'm into girls yet because I'm not sure how she'd react. I mean I know she's not homophobic because she's very openly gay herself, but I feel like maybe it'd change the dynamic of our relationship. I don't wanna lose her as a friend. What if when she discovers I like girls she just tries to sleep with me and then ignores me after she gets her way.   
  
I know that's shitty of me to assume that she'd use me like that. I don't really believe that she'd hurt me that way but my anxiety gets the better of me and I can't help but worry. Or what if she just thinks I'm copying her by being gay? Or what if she worries I'm into her (ok so well i totally kinda am) and starts acting weird because she's afraid of accidentally leading me on???  
  
In all reality I know that coming out to Carmilla won't go badly, I'm just gonna feel weird telling her I'm into girls and omitting the fact that she's one of the girls I find most appealing.

 

  
I know that at the moment you're probably saying "Wait. But Laura, are you into Tara or are you into Carmilla?" And in all honesty I like them both. But it's different. I'm infatuated and really drawn to Tara. The pull I felt towards her is what made me realize I'm gay. But with Carm I feel like we have such a deep emotional connection...not to mention she's like insanely hot too.  
  
I barely know Tara. I'm not sure how much of my attraction to Tara is attraction to the real Tara and not the Tara I've imagined in my head. But at the same time I wish I knew Tara better, I just have no idea how to go about getting to know her.   
  
"Hey L, you ok? You've been staring at your locker with a puzzled expression for like 5 minutes now," Laf is standing next to me waving their hand in front of my eyes.   
  
I snap out of my daze, "Yeah, just got lost in thought," and in Tara's eyes. "Wanna go help me find Carmilla?"  
  
"As much as I'd love to hang with Miss Broody, I can't. Per is already waiting in her car to drive me home. Have a great weekend frosh!" They wave and rush away towards the door to the band room.   
  
I laugh and turn to watch them leave and who is leaning against the door frame but none other than Carmilla Karnstein.   
  
"Hey Cupcake," she smiles at me, "you did great out there. Wanna celebrate?"   
  
"I imagine a celebration with you means something more scandalous than just going for frozen custard doesn't it?" I lift an eyebrow in challenge.  
  
"You wound me Hollis, I am a perfectly respectable well behaved gentlewoman," she clutches her hand to her chest to convey faux offense.   
  
"Yeah yeah whatever Karnstein. Let's go have fun Carm!" I click the lock on my band locker shut and run out the door, grabbing her elbow as I pass her to drag her with me.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed! Please leave me feedback and let me know what you think! If enough people enjoy this I may continue writing it more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not much happens. It's kinda a filler chapter. But hopefully still worth reading!! Kinda gives you more of an idea of the friendship dynamic between Laura and Carmilla maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a pretty short chapter, but I wanted to post what I wrote tonight rather than wait to post it with more content. I'm exhausted and it's like 1:30am so please tell me if I missed any typos. Enjoy!

As we exit the school into the crisp Fall night the wind picks up and I resist the shiver that tries to pass through my body. I'm in nothing but my short sleeved marching band t-shirt and a thin pair of leggings. I really wish I'd thought to bring a jacket.  
  
"Here, I figured you'd want this," Carmilla has pulled something out of her messenger bag and is offering it to me. It's my yellow pullover hoodie.  
  
"Thanks Carm!" I take it from her and put it on. I hadn't seen this hoodie in a week or two, I must've left it at her house or something.  
  
"Well I figured you'd need it. My plans for our evening require spending quite a bit of time outside," she gives me a lopsided smirk, knowing very well that she's peaking my curiosity.  
  
"Where are we going?" I ask, knowing full well that she's not going to give me a straight answer because she loves watching me suffer in anticipation of the unknown.  
  
"Guess you're gonna have to wait and see, Cupcake," her smirk grows into a shit-eating grin. She's well aware that I hate being kept in the dark, she's gotta be loving this.  
  
We reach her car, a 1969 ford mustang painted solid black sans a wide crimson stripe running down the center of the body. I'm by no means a car person, I wouldn't have any clue what year her car was if she hadn't obsessed over it for months while saving up to buy it. I still don't understand how she managed to afford this car.  
  
We climb in and she turns the key in the ignition, "Buckle up Creampuff, you're in for a wild night."  
  
She just loves that I'm dying to know where we're headed doesn't she? Ugh! Worst best friend ever. (I don't really mean that.) But ugh!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the brevity. I'll try to write another update soon! I'm excited about this story! Lemme know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally learn what Carmilla has planned. Laura and Carmilla have an emotional heart to heart. And they're both gay dorks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I don't think ive ever posted another update so soon before. I've just had this fic on my mind and wanted to write it down before I forgot it. Enjoy!

We've been driving for around 30 minutes heading god knows where. I think we've left city limits because we're passing an increased number of forested areas and corn fields. The worst thing about living in the midwest is that as soon as you leave the city you're driving through nothing but corn and soybean fields.   
  
Carmilla let me play whatever I wanted for around the first 10 minutes before she started complaining and asking if I could switch to something else. Normally she doesn't have a problem with me blasting Broadway musicals and 80s pop but apparently she wasn't in the mood.   
  
I decided I'd compromise and put on something we'd both approve of so I pulled up one of my alternative spotify playlists and set it to shuffle. I know Camilla's first music pick would've been something hardcore like the Dead Kennedys or Distillers or something but that's a bit too aggressive for me. For the following 20 minutes we've been listening to songs by bands like the White stripes and Nirvana. I don't really recognize any of the other bands because this is mostly music Carmilla suggested but it's all pretty good.   
  
Carmilla is gripping the steering wheel rather tightly and I can see the muscles in her jaw tensed. She's nervous about something. The current song ends and "Buried Alive" by Direct Hit! starts playing. In an attempt to ease the tension and get her to laugh I take inspiration from the song and try to joke, "You're not driving me all the way out into the middle of nowhere to murder me, are ya Carm?"   
  
She smirks and chuckles, "If I was planning on murdering you I wouldn't bother driving all this way; there's plenty of acceptable places to dump a body that take less than a half hour drive."   
  
"Ok I was joking but your response isn't reassuring me," I kid.   
  
"Relax, I just kinda wanted to get out of town. I was feeling suffocated. You'll see why I drove us all the way out here soon enough," she sounds at ease but I can still see her knuckles blanching as she grips the steering wheel too tightly. She's still uneasy.   
  
\---------------  
  
Ten minutes later she stops the car by a densely wooded area and turns off the engine. Carmilla reaches in front of me and pulls a couple of flashlights from the glove box, "Come on Cupcake, we better get moving or we're gonna miss it."   
  
"Miss what?" come on Carm just tell me where we're going already! Ugh.   
  
"You'll see," she flashes a smug grin and gets out of the car, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she shuts the car door. I follow her and as we walk to the treeline I spot a trail, "Watch your step, this trail is pretty well travelled but there's probably a few tree roots that could trip you and I know how clumbsy you can be," she laughs. Rude. I consider arguing but decide it's not worth it.   
  
We walk uphill through the woods for only around 5 minutes before the trees thin down and we reach what seems like the top of a large drumlin (yes I said drumlin, I was a geology nerd as a kid don't judge) that had been eroded away over the years resulting in a cliffside. In front of us stretched cornfields for as far as I could see, only being occasionally disrupted by small farmhouses and narrow roads.   
  
"Great view Carm, but why are we in the middle of nowhere to look at endless cornfields?" I'm still kinda baffled why we're here.   
  
She pulls a blanket out of her messenger bag and spreads it out over a patch of grass. She sits down and pats the spot beside her, "Sit down and look up."  
  
I do as she says and I'm left in awe. The stars are brighter and clearer than I've ever seen them. We live in a decent sized city surrounded by suburds and shopping centers so the light pollution back home is pretty bad. The sky is so clear here! I can even see the cloudy path of the milky way!  
  
As I'm gazing up I see small streaks paint the sky. A meteor shower! Now I see why she chose this night to stargaze.   
  
"This is beautiful Carm!" I'm still in awe.   
  
"I know. I've always loved star gazing. There's something so comforting to me knowing how small and insignificant I am compared to the enormous cosmos," I glance away from the sky to look at her. She's toying with the threads surrounding the hole in her jeans, "My father took me here for a meteor shower once before he died. I think I was 13 at the time. He told me he would always love me and I knew he meant it so I opened up. That was the first time I had ever told anyone I was gay. He hugged me and told me he was proud of me," a tear falls from her eye, "He was in that car crash a month later," she looks back up to the sky to hide her tears.   
  
"Thank you for sharing that story with me Carm. Your Dad loved you so much."   
  
She looks back at me, "Um, so I've kinda wanted to talk to you about something. I know this isn't my place and if you're not ready to talk about it that's ok but," she goes back to toying with the thread on her jeans. "I know what you're going through. And you're my friend and I love you and I hate seeing you struggling alone."   
  
Is she talking about what I think she's talking about? What if she's talking about something else? What do I do? Play dumb? "Uh, what do you mean?"   
  
She continues, "I've seen the way you look at Tara, Laura. I know that look." Fuck am I that transparent? Does she know I'm into her too? "And if you're not ready to say it out loud or if you're afraid to label it because you're not sure what label to use then that's 100% ok. I just want you to know that I'm here for you no matter what. I won't tell anybody, that's not my place. Only you have the right to tell people. I just want you to know you're not alone," she gives me a reassuring smile.   
  
I've been frozen in one place since I realized what she was saying. All I can do is mutely nod my head and give her a small smile.   
  
"Please say something Laura. You don't have to confirm or deny anything, just please let me know you're not mad that I brought this up," she pleads. How could I be mad at my best friend for doing telling me she loves me and will be there for me?? I mean I guess if she wasn't right in her assumptions I could've been upset, but she WAS right. This just makes me worry about whether she knows how I feel for her.   
  
I'm overwhelmed so all I can do is launch myself at her and wrap her in a tight hug. I feel like some of the weight has been lifted off of my chest. She hugs me back and lightly rubs my back reassuringly.   
  
I pull back and open my mouth to speak, "I'm..." it's hard to say it but I want to. This is my first opportunity to say it to someone else besides my own reflection and I know that she's going to be supportive. "I'm gay. I am gay. I like girls. I, Laura Eileen Hollis, am very very very undoubtedly a lesbian." Ok so maybe I didn't have to keep saying it but I couldn't help it. Once I opened the flood gates it just kept coming.   
  
Carmilla smiled at me, "You're so gay. So so gay dude," she leans into me to playfully nudge me with her shoulder, "From one gay to another: congrats on the gay."   
  
I giggle, "You're a total dork."   
  
She holds a finger to her mouth in a shushing motion, "Shhh, don't tell anybody. It'll hurt my reputation."   
  
I smile at her, "I'm so happy you're my best friend Carm. I don't know what I'd do without you."   
  
She wraps an arm around my shoulders in a side hug, "Probably still be gay but just a bit lonelier." She looks back up at the sky, the meteors are still falling, "It's amazing," she muses, "how we can mean practically nothing in the grand scheme of the universe, and yet one person can mean everything to someone else."

\----------------

After that we're silent. We watch the meteor shower for for a few minutes until I start to yawn, "Looks like it's bedtime for this little homo."   
  
I glare at her for calling me little but I nod my head. She stands and helps me up. We fold up the blanket and walk back to her car. The car ride home is silent, we didn't play any music.   
  
Except for the handful of times where we'd turn and smile at each other we didn't interact. I was happier than I think I had been in a long long time.   
  
We sat in a comfortable silence until she parked her car in front of my house and she turned to look at me, "Thank you for not being mad that I brought that up Laura."   
  
She almost never uses my actual name. I always take notice of the rare times she actually does because it means she's being really serious and sincere.   
  
"Thank you for being the bestest best friend in the world Carm!"   
  
We hugged and I exited the car. I walked to my front door and turned to wave at her. She smiled and waved back.   
  
I unlocked the door and stepped inside. I heard her car pull away after I closed the door.   
  
I smiled to myself.   
 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading and feedback is greatly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months later and now Laura has to attend a basketball game for pepband. Laura is still a gay dork and Carmilla is secretly a softy who loves her dork of a bestfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote this at 1am. I spent like 5 hours writing about taphonomy for an archaeology exam earlier and my brain was still wired so I had to do something else before I went to bed so I wrote this. Please give me feedback, and please alert me of any typos. Anyways, I'm exhausted and need to stop babbling. Enjoy! Thanks for reading!

  
It's been an entire semester since Carmilla took me stargazing and we had our gay heart to heart. Nothing in our friendship has changed other than the fact that I talk to her about gay things now (with the exception of my tiny maybe not really so tiny crush on her).   
  
Tonight's the first home basketball game that band kids are required to attend for pepband. Earlier when I asked Carmilla if she was going to be there her response was "Is it the boys or girls basketball team?" When I informed her it was the boys' team playing the home game this week she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Why on earth would I waste a Friday night watching sweaty boys run back and forth and jump around?"   
  
"Because your bestest best friend in the whole world has to be there because it's mandatory and you being there would make it a little more tolerable??" I gave her the best 'sad puppy dog' look that I could.   
  
"Isn't that trombone player gonna be there? The one you said has, and I quote, 'an amazing ass. Holy shit is that what being a cross country runner does to your ass? Holy hufflepuff,'" I gently punched her in the arm to make her stop and she laughed "Why don't you tell her she gives you a tromboner and maybe your night will be more interesting?"   
  
At that I told Carm to fuck off and being the smart ass she is she responded with, "Maybe later, but only if I can't get Elsie to meet up in the drama stairwell again."   
  
Ugh. Why is my best friend so fucking frustrating. Sure, I'm still totally crushing on Tara, but I don't really feel ready to do anything about it. I know that makes me sound like a wimp but I'm just not ready to take that step. Also I'm still not sure how much of my crush is really on the real Tara and not on the person I've imagined her to be.   
  
Anyways, I'm not really expecting Carmilla to come to this basketball game. I can't really blame her, there's not much reason for her to be here besides hearing the band play overused pepband charts like Freezeframe and Jump. It's not really the most exciting entertainment when you've heard us play them 400 times.   
  
So anyway, here I am sitting at the top of the bleachers with my clarinet quietly while the game goes on. I'm staring at my phone, mindlessly scrolling tumblr, when I get a text from Carmilla.   
  
[Carmilla: look to your left]  
  
I turn to see her climbing over the railing of the bleachers after scaling the side of the structure to reach where I was. She jumps down onto the bench and plops down beside me, "Hey Cupcake, sup?"   
  
I'm so happy to see her that I throw my arms around her, nearly impaling her with my clarinet mouthpiece in the process, "I'm so happy you came!"   
  
"If you're stuck here, then I'm stuck here too Creampuff," she gives me a genuine smile and then her face shifts into a lewd looking smirk, "Also there's a few girls on the cheerleading squad who keeping trying to flirt with me. So maybe I'll get lucky tonight."   
  
Her abrupt shift to talking about a hook up with some random girl kinda muted my excitement but I tried to hide my hurt, "Are you ever NOT thinking about getting laid?" I tried to roll my eyes playfully.   
  
"On arbor day," she stated matter of factly.   
  
"Was that an attempt to reference Buffy?" I mean it wasn't a direct quote but it was close enough.   
  
She chuckles, "You watch that show so much around me that yeah, I pick up a few things. I've seen you watch the musical episode so many times I can probably perform the entire episode by heart," I smile at that, "...unfortunately," she adds. Ah yes, we mustn't let her badass reputation be tarnished.   
  
The buzzer on the clock goes off obnoxiously. The band director looks at us expectantly: it's time to play again. I face forward and play the songs we're instructed to play. I've done this so many times I'm kind of numb to it.   
  
When halftime ends and the clock for the next period begins I turn to face Carmilla again but she's gone. She must've left while I was playing.   
  
I look down onto the bench where she had been sitting and see a small piece of paper. I pick it up and it reads:

  
  
_You're not just going through the motions. You'll find something to sing (or play clarinet or whatever) about. Be brave. Live._

_-Carm_

  
_P.S. I'll meet you in the student lot by my car after the game_

  
My best friend is a total dork who just referenced multiple Buffy quotes. I don't care that she couldn't perfectly quote them verbatim. She referenced them because she knows it means something to me. I smile and tuck the note into my pocket. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading:)


End file.
